Last Updated on by Rodrigo @ OutofYourComfortZone
I am doing this post and adding it to my Tricky Treks section because I couldn’t find much information about this on the internet nor by asking in person at the train stations in Belgrade or Novi Sad. Basically, they told me that it wasn’t possible to go from the north of Serbia to the west of Romania without passing through Hungary or returning to Belgrade. However, I saw an old map at a train station that showed a train line connecting this region and I decided to risk….it worked.
This Tricky Treks post is useful if you are doing the traditional route from southern Serbia to Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Subotica in the north and afterward want to explore Romania.
This entire trip is done by train, which is cheaper than bus, as I have compared the two prices.
It’s a really interesting little trip, ideal for train enthusiasts, that passes through the Serbian countryside. It’s also interesting to see what the train conductor calls the “concentration camp,” which is a tangle of barbed wire fences surrounding the train tracks to separate Serbia, a non-EU member, with Romania, an EU-member while crossing the border.
Here’s the route: Subotica – Kikinda – Jimbolia – Timisoara
- Take the train from Subotica train station at 7:05 AM and arrive in Kikinda at 9:30 AM. The cost of the trip is 384 dinars (US$ 4.53). The train is just a single train car run by diesel so it looks more like a bus on tracks. Side note, I asked the conductor how old the train was and he told me it was more than 60 years old!!
In Kikinda, there will be another train waiting for you to cross the border. You will have just enough time to pass through immigration to leave Serbia inside the station before the next train leaves.
- The train leaves from Kikinda at 9:45 AM and arrives at Jimbolia at 10:04 AM. It’s a short trip with a very kind ticket collector and conductor.
Since I was the only one on the train, they let me sit up front next to the conductor. The price that they asked me to pay once inside the train was 370 diners (US$4.37). I can’t confirm if this is the true price or the ticket collector invented it on the spot when he charged me. As I was leaving from Serbia, I only had 300 dinars left and he accepted it.
Arriving at Jimbolia, a Romanian immigration official will be waiting for you.
Since the next train won’t be until 2:47 PM, you will have time to explore this small, Romanian city… especially because there is absolutely nothing in the train station. The nice ticket lady even lets me leave my big bag behind her desk so I could walk around Jimbolia a bit lighter.
- The next train leaves Jimbolia leaves at 2:47 PM and arrives in Timisoara at 3:40 PM. The ticket costs 5.5 Romanian lets.
Altogether, the trip takes 8 hours and thirty minutes and, as of 6/6/2014 US$ 10.61. Let me know below if you have any other questions, have done this same trip, or have a better idea to share with the others.
Happy travels!!
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This way tooo cool! Next time I have time to do this i will. But for now, my challenge is to get from Subotica to Villany, Hungary. Any suggestions?
Hey, thanks for the comment. Sorry for the delay in answering but I was on the road. I checked the Hungarian train’s website https://elvira.mav-start.hu/ and they had some trains from Subotica to Villany but the trip is quite long, more than 6 hours with changes in Kiskunhalas, Baja, Dombóvár and Pécs. Or you can go by train to Szeged which is a nice student city and from there take a 4 hour bus to Villany. Check this website for buses in Hungary: https://web.archive.org/web/20160312210204/http://ujmenetrend.cdata.hu/uj_menetrend/en/index.php . Hope I helped. Good luck!!
Hi Rodrigo!!
First of all, I just wanted to let you know that I think your site is great.. .my favorite post is about the toilet paper. Definitely true as a traveler.
I also wanted to let you know that I tried this trek last week and it didn’t go quite as planned. I arrived at the train station in Subotica around 6:40 AM and was told that there was no train to Kikinda. The lady didn’t speak English and there was no one else around so I couldn’t confirm if the train wasn’t running just that day because it was broken or something or if it was no longer running permanently. Instead, she told I would have to go to the bus station to find a bus to Kikinda.
Ultimately, I ended up getting to Timisoara but it took quite a bit longer because the bus to Kikinda didn’t leave until later so I ended up missing all of my other train connections.
I can give you the specifics (price and time) of the schedule that I ended up following, if you like?
Hey, glad to know that you enjoyed the site. The toilet paper issue is one of those things that is a struggle when it happens but you laugh after it passes.
After I received your comment I went to the official Serbian Trains website to check the Kikinda train. It still shows that the train departs everyday from Subotica at 07:05 AM and arrives in Kikinda at 09:35 AM. This is the link where you can get this information: https://web.archive.org/web/20181226220253/http://w3.srbrail.rs:80/zsredvoznje/?lang=sr
Maybe the train was cancelled specifically that day or it was broken. Like you said, since the lady didn’t speak any English, it was probably a misunderstood. I’m sorry it didn’t really worked out the way it was supposed to but I’m happy to know that you arrived sound and safe to your destiny.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or comments.
I wish you happy travels!!
Hi! Your post is amazingly helpful since I’m stuck in Romania and trying to get back to my hometown, Subotica after being away for 7 months from my family. Do you know of any suggestions on how to travel from Targu Mures to Subotica?
Hi Dina, thank you for your comment. From Targu Mures you can take a train or a bus to Timisoara and from there do the opposite direction of the trip shown in my post. So Timisoara, Jimbolia, Kikinda and Subotica. You just have to check Romanian trains: https://web.archive.org/web/20160703115801/http://www.cfrcalatori.ro:80/reteaua-cfr and Serbian trains: https://web.archive.org/web/20190328112233/http://serbianrailways.com/ . Or just check at Targu Mures if they have vans to Cluj-Napoca, which is quite close and from there Timisoara. Hope I’ve helped. Have a safe trip back home!!